Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning

Department website: https://www.arch.tamu.edu/laup/

Department Head: Galen Newman

The Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning (LAUP) in the College of Architecture offers degrees in three distinct but related disciplines. LAUP takes students through a unique evidence-based approach which ranges from working with community residents to envision their future to laying the groundwork for new and improved bult and natural environments. It is the only department of its kind in the nation—no place else offers this unique combination of disciplines.

PLAN. Urban planning is “the application of foresight to action,” according to former American Planning Association President Stuart Meck. Planners work with residents and stakeholders as facilitators and guides to identify a desired future. Planners apply analytical skills to assess current social, economic, and environmental conditions and identify needed changes to help a community move toward this future. They create tools—policies, programs or projects—that allow the community to realize its plans. Planners must be excellent communicators, problem solvers and spatial thinkers. 

DESIGN. Landscape architecture is the profession that applies artistic and scientific principles to the research, planning, design and management of both natural and built environments. Landscape architects assess the characteristics of the built and natural environments to design physical solutions that address both existing problems and future needs. As designers, landscape architects seek solutions that are both functional and aesthetic. The profession blends both engineering and creativity to design places that enhance beauty and function and mitigate hazard risks and social challenges.

DEVELOP. Land developers create building sites and/or the leased or owned space for those sites. They negotiate between cities, business owners, investors and financiers to meet the demand for new structures and activities within a community. Developers must assess location, suitability and market for particular parcels within a community to determine the appropriate use and cost for new residential, retail, commercial or industrial development.

Undergraduate degrees include the Bachelor of Landscape Architecture and the Bachelor of Science in Urban and Regional Planning. Professional degrees include the Master of Landscape Architecture, the Master of Urban Planning, and the Master in Land and Property Development. The department also offers a doctorate in Urban and Regional Science. Combined degrees and articulated degrees (Bachelor + Masters) are available.

Brown, Robert D, Professor
Land Arch & Urban Planning
PHD, University of Guelph, 1985
MLA, University of Guelph, 1982

Cooper, John T, Professor Of The Practice
Land Arch & Urban Planning
PHD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2004

Davis, Deidra D, Instructional Associate Professor
Land Arch & Urban Planning
PHD, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 2017

Dixit, Madhavi Manish M, Lecturer
Land Arch & Urban Planning
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2021
MLA, School of Planning & Architecture New Delhi, India, 1997

Dvorak, Bruce D, Professor
Land Arch & Urban Planning
MLA, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1994

Early, Tim, Associate Professor Of The Practice
Land Arch & Urban Planning
MS, Texas A&M University, 1991

Fu, Xinyu, Assistant Professor
Land Arch & Urban Planning
PHD, University of Florida, 2018

Garcia, Ivis, Associate Professor
Land Arch & Urban Planning
PHD, University of Illinois at Chicago, 2015

Golbabai, Justin, Associate Professor Of The Practice
Land Arch & Urban Planning
MPA, University of Kansas, 2006

Hu, Lingqian 'Ivy', Professor
Land Arch & Urban Planning
PHD, University of Southern California, 2010

Huang, Chang S, Associate Professor
Land Arch & Urban Planning
PHD, University of Pennsylvania, 1995

Keller, Duke, Visiting Lecturer
Land Arch & Urban Planning
JD, South Texas College of Law, 1998

Lee, Chanam, Professor
Land Arch & Urban Planning
PHD, University of Washington, 2004

Lee, Sungmin, Associate Professor
Land Arch & Urban Planning
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2018
MLA, Seoul National University, 2009

Leverett, Dan, Professor Of The Practice
Land Arch & Urban Planning
MBA, Texas A&M University, 1988

Li, Dongying, Associate Professor
Land Arch & Urban Planning
PHD, University of Illinois - Champaign, 2016

Li, Wei, Professor
Land Arch & Urban Planning
PHD, University of California at Irvine, 2011

Malecha, Matthew L, Instructional Assistant Professor
Land Arch & Urban Planning
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2019
MURP, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, 2012

Martin, June C, Instructional Associate Professor
Land Arch & Urban Planning
MS, University of Georgia, 2002
MPA, University of Georgia, 1991

McNair, Michael, Assistant Professor
Land Arch & Urban Planning
PHD, Kansas State University, 2023
MCRP, Clemson University, 2018

Meyer, Michelle Annette, Professor
Land Arch & Urban Planning
PHD, Colorado State University, 2013

Nam, Ji Won, Instructional Assistant Professor
Land Arch & Urban Planning
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2023
MLA, Seoul National University, 2009

Newman, Galen D, Professor
Land Arch & Urban Planning
PHD, Clemson University, 2010
MLA, Auburn University, 2006
MCP, Auburn University, 2006

Noh, Youngre, Assistant Professor
Land Arch & Urban Planning
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2015

Peacock, Walter Gillis, Professor
Land Arch & Urban Planning
PHD, University of Georgia, 1986

Peng, Jingxi, Lecturer
Land Arch & Urban Planning
MLA, Texas A&M University, 2022

Reid, Russell W, Instructional Associate Professor
Land Arch & Urban Planning
MAR, Texas A&M University, 2001
BED, Texas A&M University, 1995

Ren, Dingding, Senior Lecturer
Land Arch & Urban Planning
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2025
MLA, Texas A&M University, 2018

Rosenheim, Nathanael Proctor, Research Associate Professor
Land Arch & Urban Planning
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2015
MUP, Texas A&M University, 2009

Sanchez, Thomas, Professor
Land Arch & Urban Planning
PHD, Georgia Institute of Technology, 1996

Schmahmann, Laura, Assistant Professor
Land Arch & Urban Planning
PHD, University of California at Berkeley, 2025

Scott, Bentley Nelson, Associate Professor Of The Practice
Land Arch & Urban Planning
MS, Johns Hopkins University, 2010
MS, Texas A&M University, 2005

Song, Yang, Associate Professor
Land Arch & Urban Planning
PHD, Clemson University, 2017
MLA, Clemson University, 2013

Van Zandt, Shannon S, Professor
Land Arch & Urban Planning
PHD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2004

Varni, James Walter, Research Professor
Land Arch & Urban Planning
PHD, University of California, Los Angeles, 1976

Wunneburger, Douglas F, Instructional Professor
Land Arch & Urban Planning
PHD, Texas A&M University, 1992

Xu, Boqian, Assistant Professor
Land Arch & Urban Planning
PHD, University of Pennsylvania, 2023
MLA, University of Pennsylvania, 2016

Yu, Siyu, Associate Professor
Land Arch & Urban Planning
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2019

Zhong, Sinan, Assistant Professor
Land Arch & Urban Planning
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2020
MLA, Texas A&M University, 2014